Big Wreck has been enjoying their tour with Theory of a Deadman, according to Big Wreck co-founder Ian Thornley, and the two chart-topping Canadian rock groups are looking forward to the concert at Spectra Place in Estevan on Sunday, December 9.

The 24-city tour involving the two bands started on November 16 in Halifax, and it'll wrap up on December 18 in Theory of a Deadman's hometown of Vancouver. The shows on the tour have been going really smoothly, Thornley said, and the response from the crowds has been excellent, too.

“It makes it a lot easier, when you're touring with another band, when they're actually cool guys, because I've certainly done my share of touring with bands that we didn't necessarily get along with,” said Thornley.

Both bands are known for their hard rock sound, but they do play different brands of rock-and-roll, Thornley said.

Fans at the Estevan concert can expect a 75-minute set from each band, Thornley said. The group that goes second will likely take the encore. Big Wreck and Theory of a Deadman had been alternating between opening and closing the concerts, he said, since they co-headline the shows, and Thornley said he is fine in either role.

Big Wreck will be promoting their third studio album, “Albatross,” which was released earlier this year. The CD's title track, which was the first song released, reached No. 1 on the Canadian rock charts and No. 2 on the Canadian alternative lists. It's the first time they've had a No. 1 hit.

“Wolves” and “A Million Days” have also been released from the album.

“The response was far beyond what I would have expected upon releasing the record,” said Thornley. “The second and third singles are doing great, too. The reaction to the record has been fantastic.

“And the record has been such pleasure to make that I was already super-proud of it, and I was already in love with the album. It's just really, really nice to hear that other people are reacting to it as well.”

The album will be released in the U.S. in February.
Big Wreck's first album, “In Loving Memory of...,” was released in 1997. It yielded three top 10 hits in Canada: “The Oaf (My Luck is Wasted),” “That Song” and “Blown Wide Open.”

“We had more success with 'The Oaf' than we did with 'That Song,' and I thought 'That Song' was a better song,” said Thornley. “There's a part to me that's always surprised that anyone would want to listen to what we're doing. But there's other parts of me, certainly back then in my early 20s, which said 'We're going to take over the world,' which obviously didn't happen.”

Their second release, “The Pleasure and the Greed,” came out in 2001.

The band had a hiatus for from 2002 to 2010, as Thornley embarked on a solo career, touring under the name Thornley. He reconnected with Big Wreck co-founder Brian Dougherty in 2010. Doherty filled in for another band member at a Thornley show, which led to the reunion and the new album.

“Brian and I rekindled our friendship,” said Thornley. “That wasn't musically related. That was just on a personal level. I just missed him.”

Thornley is thrilled to once again be touring under the Big Wreck name.

“It feels great,” said Thornley. “The touring band is sort an amalgamation of Thornley and Big Wreck, but we're definitely keeping the ideals that were in Big Wreck in the first place.

Thornley believes that the talent currently touring under the Big Wreck name is the best collection of musicians that he has ever been a part of.

Tickets for the Big Wreck and Theory of a Dead Man concert are still available.

Estevan Lifestyles Publications is the presenting sponsor for the concert.